Exceptional Impact: Meet Your 2026 Stony Awards Finalists

Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith has announced the 24 finalists for the fourth annual Stony Awards, which will be presented at a gala event on November 10.

The awards are the university's official way of publicly acknowledging and rewarding its most exceptional employees, nominated by their peers and selected by leadership. They recognize exceptional individuals who exemplify the values Stony Brook stands for, are committed to Stony Brook's mission and values, and consistently go above and beyond in their jobs.

"Our selection committee reviewed hundreds of nominations, each telling a compelling story about the nominee's incredible contributions and their significant positive impact," Goldsmith said in her September 10 message to the university community. "Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination and to our committee members for your thoughtful work. Every nominee should be celebrated for their excellent work, which made the selection of finalists extremely difficult."

Finalists were named in five of the awards:

President's Award for Nurturing a Welcoming, Inclusive Campus Culture
Lorre Cahill
Glenn Dausch
Chikako Nakamura
Robert Nocito

Excellence in Leadership Award
Megan Aiello
Rose Tirotta Esposito
Rachelle Germana
Jamie Saragossi
Emily Snyder

Excellence in Patient Service
William Caldwell
Michele Cinelli-Corona
Heather Lawrence
Brittni Munn
Michael Tufano

Community Award
Rasheed Davis
Eric Lamberg
Marshall Leonard
Daniel Singer
Unity Watts-Bailey

SB YOU Award
Al DiVenuto
Frank Imperiale
Karen Kernan
Kathleen McGoldrick
Ashley Staples

One of the award winners will also receive the President's Champion Award for outstanding service that furthers Stony Brook's institutional mission, values and goals.

"Every day, I am reminded that Stony Brook's excellence and impact across all dimensions of its mission - education, research, healthcare, and service - is due to the creativity, vision, dedication, compassion, and hard work of its people," Goldsmith said.

The awards ceremony will be held at Flowerfield in St. James, on Tuesday, November 10, at 6 pm. For more information, visit the Stony Awards website.